Why finding the right preschool was so important to our family

Finding the right preschool for your child(ren) can feel like both an exciting and daunting task. As you evaluate the range of available options, it’s important to know the “must-haves” for your family. Is the school’s curriculum and how it will prepare your child for kindergarten and beyond your highest priority? A strong community and the opportunity for your little one(s) to socialize and make friends from a young age?

Olivia DeLong, one of our editors at BabyCenter, knows this all too well. Her 4-year-old daughter Amelia has been a student at a Primrose school since she was only a year old. For DeLong, watching Primrose help shape her daughter’s academic, physical, and social-emotional development has been a rewarding experience. We had the chance to catch up with DeLong to discuss why she opted for a private school education for Amelia and why Primrose Schools^®Opens a new window has been the right decision for her family.

BabyCenter: What prompted your family to look for a private early education and care provider in the first place? Did you explore any public options?

Olivia DeLong: We began looking at full-time school and daycare options when Amelia was a year old. She had previously been in an in-home daycare program, but we wanted something with longer hours, more hands-on learning opportunities, and enriching social experiences. In our area, until Pre-K, the only options for these types of programs are private schools. My husband and I both work full time so we wanted to find an option that would allow us to work normal hours while she was in school, but were also committed to finding a place where she would learn and grow until she went to kindergarten. I was nervous about how she would adjust to a larger school environment coming from an in-home program, but I knew having her learn and grow outside of the home while we worked was the right thing for our family. 

BC: When researching early education and care providers, what were your main criteria?

OD: Education has been a huge part of my family – my mother, grandmother, grandfather, aunts, and cousins are all current or former teachers and principals – so finding a curriculum and staff that we felt comfortable with was top priority. We had 13 schools on our list including Primrose, and we looked at each school’s class offerings, curriculum, and staff credentials, but Primrose was the clear winner. The director of the school was responsive, kind, and set up a tour of the school within a few days of me emailing her. Once we signed on for a tour and met with the owner and director, we were confident this was the right place for Amelia. 

BC: How did you find Primrose Schools, and why did you send your daughter there? 

OD: We had good friends with children at our local Primrose school, so we researched the school and saw they had a great program that seemed to have everything we were looking for. Beyond the immediate comfort and at-home feeling we got from both the director and franchise owner of the school, we really liked the educational approach Primrose Schools offered. Their Balanced Learning®Opens a new window approach which blends Active Minds (hands-on discovery and building critical thinking skills), Healthy Bodies (cultivating healthy habits) and Happy Hearts (character development and life skills), immediately resonated with me. We knew we wanted our daughter exposed to different types of learning, including science, math, social studies, and language and literacy – a big one for me as an editor. We also loved the fact that they placed a huge emphasis on getting children ready for elementary school. In fact, 95% of their Pre-K students demonstrate kindergarten readiness,* so we knew we would be investing in a program that would help prepare her for what she called “big school” down the road. 

Another thing that was important to us was that as Amelia got older, we wanted her to be in less of a “daycare” environment, and more of a school-type environment. We wanted a school that would allow her the opportunity to play and be creative but also maintain a typical schedule throughout the day. From the moment we stepped foot into our Primrose school, we knew she was going to be safe, loved, and cherished by the staff and teachers.

BC: What are the benefits of going to Primrose Schools? 

OD: I am completely blown away by what Amelia has learned there. She knows how to write her name and the entire alphabet, she’s doing a few simple math exercises, counting, sounding out letters, and most impressively, has learned to communicate respectfully with both her friends and adults, and has learned why being kind to others is so important.

She has also developed a love for the outdoors because of the scheduled outdoor activities and playtime, as well as a love for art and drawing – she wants to draw all day long. She has learned to interact with others, share, and help with tasks around the classroom and at home (surprisingly, she loves to help!), and understands why good habits are important. We are so proud of Amelia and how much she has grown into a considerate, little 4-year-old (of course we sometimes have our moments!). We also appreciate how Primrose classes are separated by age and developmental readiness. It has been wonderful to have children experiencing milestones together, which has helped our daughter.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of Amelia going to a Primrose School is the sense of community we have with other families thanks to school events where we’re all together. One of the best parts of our day as parents is school pick up. Almost every student in the class comes up to me and says “Can I go to Amelia’s house today?” And it turns out, the children also do this with every other parent. It’s sweet that the kids want to spend every second together. The other families in her class are now some of our very best friends – we’ve taken trips together, and we’re now all members of the local pool. We feel very lucky that Amelia has made such lifelong friends, and we parents have too!

BC: What is Amelia’s favorite thing about Primrose? What’s yours?

OD: Her teachers and friends, Circle Time every morning, playing outside, and creative activities such as painting and drawing. She runs down the hallway every morning right into her teacher’s arms to immediately tell her what we did over the weekend or the night before. There’s not much more you could dream of for your child in a school – it’s a place where Amelia has fun and feels safe and loved. One of my husband’s and my favorite things about the school is how her teachers go the extra mile every day. We get consistent updates, pictures, and videos throughout the day, which always make us smile.

BC: It sounds like your daughter’s experience at Primrose Schools has been really positive.

OD: It’s really hard to put into words just how amazing the experience has been for our daughter – and for us. We’re so grateful for the outstanding education Amelia is receiving and all of the learning and development she continues to show us, but what’s most important to me is that we all feel comfortable and cared for when we walk into the school. Amelia is now almost 5 years old and has been at Primrose for more than 3 years, and let’s just say that she is upset whenever we pick her up from school in the evening because she wants to keep playing with her friends. She has a set of very best friends, loves all her teachers (they truly are the best!), and has an amazing sense of independence and confidence. As parents, we feel so confident that the education Amelia is receiving at Primrose is setting her up for a lifelong love of learning. After all, a child who asks to stay at school until the last possible minute certainly loves to learn – and that is definitely Amelia! 

BC: Why would you recommend Primrose Schools to other parents?

OD: The school has changed our family’s lives for the better, and the Primrose community we gained in a post-COVID world has been more beneficial than we ever imagined. I highly recommend Primrose Schools because of the high standards of education and care, the caliber of teachers, and the overall community feel. Any school where your child begs not to leave at the end of the day, talks nonstop about her teachers and friends, and has her skipping down the hallways in the morning is definitely the right place to be. 

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_{*95% Kindergarten Readiness: Study was conducted on a representative sample of Primrose students across twelve Primrose schools in nine states in the Spring of 2023. The Bracken School Readiness Assessment^TM Fourth Edition assesses children’s school readiness in terms of their understanding of concepts that are strongly related to early childhood cognitive and language development as well as early academic achievement.}

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